This invention relates generally to servicing of heating, ventilation, air-conditioning, and refrigeration (HVAC/R) systems, and more specifically, to replacement of capacitors included in HVAC/R units.
A typical HVAC/R system includes a cooling unit having a condenser motor and a compressor motor. Condenser motors and compressor motors are often permanent split-capacitor motors. Capacitors couple the condenser motor and the compressor motor to control circuitry.
After receiving a service call for a non-operational HVAC/R system located at a remote site, a typical troubleshooting tactic used by a service technician is to first replace a capacitor of a non-operational motor since the capacitor is a component that may fail and is relatively inexpensive compared to the control circuitry and the motor. However, given the large variety of motors currently in use in HVAC/R systems, the service technician would need to carry a large inventory of capacitors, sometimes including large, often expensive, multi-capacitance capacitors, to remote sites to ensure possession of the capacitor ratings needed to repair every HVAC/R system in use. Should the service technician not have a needed capacitor ratings in his “on-site” inventory of capacitors, returning to a repair center or electronics store to obtain the correct capacitor is neither efficient nor cost-effective.
The problem of having the necessary parts “on-site” has been accentuated by the wider variety of motors and compressors being used in HVAC/R systems due to rising energy efficiency minimum requirements, which are set by government entities. To ensure efficient and cost effective service of HVAC/R systems in the field, a service technician must carry a large number of replacement components, potentially including multi-capacitance capacitors, to a service site.